The 3 Best Injectors of 2019 (With Pictures)

Have you ever used meat injectors? If you haven’t, you’re about to be surprised! These injectors are the grill master's best kept secret for adding incredible flavor and juiciness to your grilling game. Meat injectors are large syringes that can be used to fill food with marinades, sauces, or brines. When the marinade is injected directly into the meat, every fiber of the food becomes filled with delicious flavor. The result: a plump, juicy, piece of meat that is unlikely to dry out during cooking. The best part is you don’t have to restrict yourself only to meats - you can also inject vegetables with salt, oil, and spices.

There isn’t a lot of competition in the meat injector market, so we only chose three models to put to the test. We looked at each one and scored them on Liquid Capacity, Needle Design, Sturdiness, and Easy Cleaning. We took those ratings and came up with an rating to determine each injectors Overall Score. Once we had the scores in hand, it was pretty easy to see which one ranked as our number one Pitmaster’s Choice in the Injectors Category.

Use the table below to get a quick look at how each injector performed on our tests. Then, continue scrolling to read our review on each injector to back up the rankings. You can also click on each injector to read a more in-depth review.

Overall Injectors Review Scores

Brand

Liquid Capacity

Needle Design

Sturdiness

Easy Cleaning

Overall Score

Mr Grill

5

5

5

5

5

Bayou

5

5

3

5

4.5

Grill Pro

5

4

3

3

3.5

Mr Grill 2 Food Injector By GrillHogs

If you’re looking for a food injector, this Mr Grill item certainly looks the part. It also feels solid and heavy in the hand. The two needles it comes with are long enough for almost any meats, and the two different types cover pretty much any type of sauce or minced marinade you can think of.

I did notice a tiny bit of leakage when I was pushing the food injector particularly hard, but you can almost see the meat swelling as you use it, so you know the marinade is getting to where it should. Time will tell if this item retains it’s function, and whether the steel is genuinely stainless, but for now I would say this food injector is one of the better ones on the market.

This Product Is Ranked as the #1 Pitmaster’s Choice In The Injectors Category

Bayou Classic Stainless Steel Marinade Injector

If you take your grilling seriously, at some point you’ll probably want to give a meat injector a try. These devices pump sauces and other marinades deep inside the meat, which keeps it where it’s supposed to be and adds moisture and flavor. They’re easy enough to use, just fill the food injector with your sauce, push the point in to the thick parts of the meat and inject. This Bayou flavor injector comes with two needles, one that’s a simple tube for thicker and minced marinade, the other with a capped end and three holes either side for thinner liquids. Both of them are sharp enough to pierce the meat and are of a decent length.

GrillPro Meat Injector

This GrillPro seasoning injector is made of plastic, except the plunger shaft and the needle. The body in particular is that clear, brittle kind, the rest isn’t so bad. It has a scale on the side in ml and ounces, although I don’t know anyone who marinades so precisely. The needle is sharp enough to do the job, but using anything other than thin liquid will cause it to clog up, even particles of herbs and spices. At least it comes apart to clean, although this is more of a one-use item.

Overall, you should really avoid low quality plastic flavor injectors, trust your instincts and go for a better made stainless steel model. A company called GrillPro really should be turning out more substantial products.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Does an Injector Work?

A meat injector uses a syringe to inject food with marinades, sauces, or brines. This infuses the flavor of the marinade or sauce into every fiber of the food item, as opposed to overnight marinades that just flavor the outside of the food. Once you inject the marinade, the meat or vegetable will plump up. At this point, it is immediately ready to grill, roast, or fry.

What Types of Meats Can Benefit from an Injector?

Any large cut of meat is a good candidate for using a meat injector. Popular injected items are pork shoulders, whole chickens, or beef briskets. Naturally lean cuts of meat, like pork loin, beef round, or leg of lamb, will especially benefit from the meat injection. Any meat can be injected with marinade, although smaller proteins like chicken drumsticks will not be able to hold as much liquid.

Can I Inject Heavy Sauces or Only Thin Marinades?

Some meat injectors come with two needles, a thin needle and one with larger openings. If you only have one needle with a thin opening, its best to work with thin marinades and sauces that don’t have any coarsely ground spices or other large ingredients that may clog the needle. The needles with larger openings can accommodate chunkier, thicker sauces.

Are Injectors Easy to Clean?

Most meat injectors have parts that are fully removable. This makes cleaning easy as each individual component can be removed and cleaned with soapy water. Dishwashers are not recommended for meat injectors as they can be too harsh on the delicate rubber or silicone gaskets.

Can I Buy Replacement Needles?

Depending on the model of your meat injector, replacement needles are often available through the manufacturer. Contact your manufacturer to make sure that they sell replacement needles before making your purchase.

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